The present invention is directed to heaters useful for heating water with solar energy.
Efforts have been directed to providing sailors, campers, backpackers, and the like with a portable water heater that relies on solar energy for heating the water. Such a unit is commercially available from Basic Designs, Inc. of Sausalito, Calif., under the trademark Sun Shower. The Sun Shower heater comprises two sheets of plastic peripherally bonded to each other, one sheet being clear and the other sheet being black. By hanging the Sun Shower heater in the sun with the clear side facing the sun, water is quickly heated.
Although the Sun Shower heater has proven to be effective, a more efficient heater would be desirable for certain conditions. For example, on cold days and on days with only limited sunshine, it may not be possible to heat water to a sufficiently high temperature with the Sun Shower heater to take a comfortable shower. Therefore, there is a need for a solar water heater that maintains the advantages of the Sun Shower heater, yet more efficiently and effectively heats water.